The League's six-Pokémon rule was a logistical nightmare for a girl who had a habit of collecting "high-potential" misfits. I stood in the Cerulean Pokémon Center, staring at the digital transfer screen with a heavy heart. One of them had to go back to the lab.
Sparky (Pichu) and the unnamed Spearow were off-limits; we were still in the "don't-peck-the-trainer" phase of friendship, and sending them away now would feel like an eviction. Zubat was too fresh, and Eevee and Nugget were my anchors.
Finally, I sighed and looked at Sakura. "Linda's been begging to study your wing patterns for weeks, Sakura. Think of it as a vacation at a high-end spa. You'll be the star of the G-Pro research department."
It made sense. Sakura—my pink Butterfree—was the most stable of my "wildcards," and Linda had been pestering me for DNA swabs since I first mentioned the capture. I hopped onto a video call, and within five minutes, Linda was practically vibrating with excitement.
"The Pink Paradox! Yes, send her to the Viridian Lab, Regina! I'll personally oversee her conditioning and flight training. She'll have access to the best nectar and psychic-enhancement chambers in Kanto. I'll keep her ready for your call-up."
I looked at Sakura's ball. "You okay with this, girl? Think of it as a specialized training camp. I'll call you back the second we hit the tall grass of the next route."
Sakura fluttered out, gave me a graceful, shimmering bow, and tapped the transport pad with her wing. She was a professional through and through. With Sakura safe in Linda's capable (if slightly eccentric) hands, my roster was back to a legal six.
### The War Council
The moment Sakura's ball vanished, I released the rest of the squad in a private training room. The atmosphere wasn't just heavy; it was nuclear.
My team had heard what happened. They knew about Cross. And Pokémon, as it turns out, have a very refined sense of justice.
The aloof Spearow was currently perched on a high beam, his wings shimmering with a dull metallic luster. He wasn't looking at me; he was staring at Goldie—the shiny Charmander—with a terrifying, focused intensity. *"Spear-row,"* he rasped, which translated roughly to: *"I will Steel Wing that bastard into the next region. I will find that human. I will carve my name into his designer vest. He will know the taste of cold steel, do not worry."*
Sparky was even worse. The Pichu was vibrating, his cheeks crackling with blue-white sparks. He was ready to sprint back to Route 4 and turn Cross into a human-shaped pile of ash. It took Nugget and Eevee physically pinning him down with their paws to keep him from launching a one-mouse war.
Zubat, ever the Jolly optimist, was just flapping in circles. *"Zu-bat! Zu! (Welcome to the team! I'm new too, but trust me, the food here is top-tier!)"*
The golden Charmander stared at them in stunned silence. In Cross's world, other Pokémon were rivals to be stepped on or tools to be discarded. She had never seen a pack protect a stranger. The realization hit her like a physical wave, and her big, watery eyes overflowed. She sat down and began to cry, but for the first time, it wasn't out of fear. It was relief.
I knelt down, pulling her into a hug while dodging a stray spark from the still-fuming Pichu. "Hey, easy there, Sparky. You aren't going to zap Cross."
The Pichu let out an indignant, high-pitched *"Pichu-chu?!"* as if to say, *'Why not?!'*
I turned to Goldie, wiping a tear from her scaly cheek. "Because *you* will, Goldie. Or rather, you'll do something much worse."
Goldie blinked at me, her flame flickering.
"We are going to train," I promised, my voice becoming a low, resonant vow. "I will make you the strongest Charizard to ever grace the skies. We won't just defeat him; we will shatter his worldview. When he sees you—the 'useless' lizard—commanding the heavens as the Queen of Dragons, he will be consumed by a regret so bitter he'll never sleep soundly again. That is our revenge. We don't just win; we transcend."The room went silent.
Nugget let out a loud, approving *"Chic-TOR!"* and bumped her head against Goldie's. *"(Welcome to the team, sister. We'll be the Queens of Flame. Well, I'll be the Queen of Flame and Fighting, and you'll be the Queen of... Sky? Dragon? Your species is confusing, but the fire is real!)"*
Eevee just wagged her tail, nudging a rubber ball toward Goldie. *"(Let's play! Forget the bad man, we have berries and belly rubs here!)"*
### The "Dumb Young Master" Analysis
I pulled out my Pokedex to check Goldie's technical specs, and I nearly dropped the device.
"Nelly... are you seeing this?"
"Host, it appears the individual known as 'Cross' possesses more wealth than wisdom."
**[Data Scan: Goldie (Shiny Charmander)]**
* **Level:** 15
* **Moveset:** Dragon Rage, Dragon Claw, Dragon Pulse, Flamethrower, Fire Punch, Thunder Punch, Scratch, Ember, Metal Claw.
* **Egg Moves:** Dragon Rush, Counter, Dragon Tail.
I stared at the screen, then at the golden lizard currently sniffing Eevee's ball. Goldie wasn't just well-trained; she was a biological goldmine. Cross, being a 'second-generation young master' with a bottomless bank account, had clearly shoveled money into move tutors and rare TMs. This Charmander was a literal Swiss Army Knife of high-tier elemental coverage.
"Is he an idiot or is he an idiot?" I muttered. "He spent a fortune on her kit and then threw her away because her 'potential' looked low? The potential dampener must have made her moves feel sluggish or low-impact, and he didn't have the patience to see past the surface."
**"Correct, Host,"** Nelly chimed in. **"Due to the transportation inconsistency, her energy core appeared 'fractured' to standard Pokedexes. Cross lacks the vision to see beyond a digital readout."**
"Can we fix it?"
**"The System Shop contains a 'Celestial Marrow Essence.' It heals all weakened states and restores fractured potential to its original peak. Cost: 25,000 Points."**
I looked at the price tag. My soul left my body for a moment. I just clicked buy before I could second guess myself.
**"Purchasing... 25,000 Points deducted. Current Balance: 0 Points."**
I didn't care. I pulled a small, glowing vial of golden liquid from my inventory. The rest of the team watched in awe as I tipped it into Goldie's mouth.
The transformation wasn't physical, but the *feel* of her changed instantly. It was like a dam breaking. Her muscles, once slightly stunted and stiff, smoothed out. The dullness in her golden scales vanished, replaced by a brilliant, metallic sheen that reflected the room's lights like a mirror.
**[STATUS UPDATE: GOLDIE]**
**[CLASS: ELITE ——> CHAMPION]**
**[POTENTIAL: RESTORED]**
"Lucky me," I whispered, a predatory smirk crossing my face. "Dumb, dumb Cross."
### The Protagonist's Shadow
"Wait, Nelly," I mused, leaning back against the wall. "In the old 'I Choose You' movie archives, this Charmander was supposed to be Ash's. But in the original anime, there was a different abused Charmander—owned by a guy named Damian—that also became Ash's. What gives?"
**"Ash Ketchum is a 'Singularity,' Host. He is the 'Chosen One.' Multiple timelines tend to converge around him. It appears you simply intervened in the 'Cross' timeline before Ash could arrive. He can still get his Charmander though as Damian timeline still exist."**
I laughed softly. "So I literally poached a protagonist's Pokémon? Sorry, Ashy-boy. You've still got Pikachu and your protagonist luck, but this Queen belongs to the girl on the skateboard."